This Academic Research Facilities Modernization Program (ARFMP) award from the Research Facilities Office provides funds to the University of Guam for the renovation and repair of the University of Guam Marine Laboratory which houses marine sciences research and research training activities and is the only U.S. marine laboratory facility in the region. This building was constructed in 1970 and last renovated in 1975. The ARFMP grant of $130,795 will be used to modernize these research and research training facilities which are located in a harsh and corrosive tropical marine natural environment that necessitates an unusually large amount of maintenance and repair of facilities. This project will address the need to improve the current research infrastructure by adding and replacing laboratory counters, providing a laboratory space for photomicrography and microbiology and a capacity for boat storage, and eliminating the problems of fluctuations in water temperature and salinity and algal fouling of the outside water table and aquarium area. This award contributes to the infrastructure of science by providing an improved environment for the conduct of research and for the training of undergraduate and master's degree students. The Guam Marine Laboratory plays a unique role in the nation's scientific base due to its geographical location and the specific research expertise that it represents. It provides research opportunities for native Pacific Islanders living on the U.S.- affiliated islands of Micronesia, and indeed, outside of Hawaii, which is many thousands of miles away, it is the only facility where local people can obtain undergraduate and graduate degree experience and conduct research involving the local marine environments.
